Modernism in America Awards

Now accepting nominations for the 2019 Modernism in America Awards

Now in its sixth year, the Awards celebrate the documentation, preservation and re-use of modern buildings, structures and landscapes built in the United States or on U.S. territory. The Awards recognize those building owners, design teams, advocacy and preservation organizations that have made significant efforts to retain, restore and advocate for the aesthetic and cultural value of such places.

View the award categories and eligibility guidelines below.

Deadline

Early nominations must be submitted by 11:59 PM on January 18, 2019All nominations must be submitted by 11:59 PM on February 15, 2019

Award Categories

Design

This juried award recognizes informed, thoughtful and creative design efforts to preserve, restore or adapt a modern building, structure or landscape of local, regional or national significance, securing its presence for future generations. Design Awards are recognized in the following sub-categories:

Residential,

Commercial

Institutional/Civic

Inventory/Survey

This juried award recognizes exceptional efforts to document, inventory and/or create a preservation plan for one or more modern buildings, structures or landscapes of local, regional or national significance. Nominations may be submitted in the form of a website, book, publication, or exhibition.

Advocacy

Presented by the Docomomo US Board of Directors, this award recognizes outstanding efforts to preserve and advocate for threatened modern buildings, structures or landscapes of local, regional or national significance through advocacy efforts. This award seeks to recognize preservation and advocacy organizations and other groups (including Docomomo US chapters) who have gone above and beyond to work collectively and collaboratively to advocate for a modern site or structure.

Eligibility and Guidelines

All Submissions

Buildings, structures and landscapes must be located in the United States or on U.S. territory and have originally been completed between 1940 and 1980. Please contact Docomomo US if you would like a building or site to be considered that falls outside of these parameters by emailing awards@docomomo-us.org.

Nominations must be the work of architectural design teams, preservation and/or advocacy organizations and persons located in the United States.

All submissions must demonstrate significance of the building or site if not listed on the National Register of Historic Places or recognized by local landmarking laws.

Submissions should have preservation as a core component of the treatment, design concept and/or strategy.

Special consideration will be given to submissions that showcase an informed, well-executed, thoughtful, creative and holistic approach to the preservation of modern architecture.

Design and Inventory/Survey Submissions

Preservation, restoration or rehabilitation of modern building(s), structure(s) or landscape(s) must have been completed between January 1, 2014 and February 15, 2019.

For design projects, original construction materials and/or design intent must have been retained and/or restored. A significant loss of such may cause a submission to be deemed void.

It is strongly recommended design submissions include before and after photographs taken from the same vantage point.

It is strongly recommended design submissions include before and after floor plans where an addition or alteration has occurred. A site plan and/or section drawings can be included if relevant.

Advocacy Submissions

Advocacy efforts should have been completed between January 1, 2014 and February 15, 2019 with an allowance for advocacy that is on-going.

The building(s), structure(s) or landscape(s) that are the focus of the advocacy initiative must have been threatened with demolition or significant alteration.

Advocacy efforts of multiple partners, persons or organizations that have gone above and beyond to work collectively and collaboratively are encouraged.

2019 Jury

The Modernism in America Awards jury will be announced in the following weeks.

Recognition

Winners will be announced in April 2019. The Modernism in America awards ceremony will take place Wednesday, June 19 2019 in New York City at the Design Within Reach showroom.

Sponsorship opportunities for the 2019 Modernism in America Awards will be available.

Mark your calendars

Join us for the 2019 Modernism in America Awards Ceremony

The Awards Ceremony is set for Wednesday, June 19, 2019 in New York City. More details to follow.

Lead Sponsor

Design Within Reach

Design Within Reach makes authentic modern design accessible. When the company was founded in 1998, the classics were very difficult to find. DWR changed that, making innovative works by iconic designers accessible for the first time and continuing to offer the best in modern design – past, present and future – ever since.

About

The Modernism in America Awards is the only national program that celebrates the people and projects working to preserve, restore and rehabilitate our modern heritage sensitively and productively. The program seeks to advance those preservation efforts; to increase appreciation for the period and to raise awareness of the on-going threats against modern architecture and design while acknowledging the substantial contribution preservation in general and the postwar heritage in particular makes to the economic and cultural life of our communities.

About

Membership

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